Jeff Dunham and his rogue troupe of comedic sidekicks return to Waterbury

M.B. Tuccio, Correspondent

Published 6:10 pm, Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Photo: Contributed Photo

Image 1of/1

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 1

Identity Crisis Tour 2011

Identity Crisis Tour 2011

Photo: Contributed Photo

Jeff Dunham and his rogue troupe of comedic sidekicks return to Waterbury

1 / 1

Back to Gallery

A jalapeno pepper on a stick, a dead terrorist, and a drunken redneck will all be performing at the Palace Theatre in Waterbury on Friday and Saturday, March 11 and 12.

However, they'll need some help to complete their acts; these puppets will be masterfully wielded by comedian Jeff Dunham, who is on his Identity Crisis tour.

Having topped sales and viewer charts on everything from Comedy Central to Forbes magazine, Dunham's shows deliver humor that appeals to a wide audience. His colorful cast of characters charms nearly everyone in one way or another. Whether it's the grumpy old retiree Walter, or the insane purple puppet named Peanut, they relate to everyone.

Dunham began developing his skills as a ventriloquist after receiving his very first puppet, a toy Mortimer Snerd, when he was 8 years old.

"I started doing shows at Scout events and civic banquets," he said. "It wasn't until I got to college that I tried to develop my own material."

What makes comedy funny, are funny jokes, and Dunham keeps this in mind.

"Ventriloquism needed to be just a vehicle for the comedy," he said. "It couldn't be the focus of the act.

"In other words, I focus on the material and the jokes and keep people laughing. The ventriloquism just happened to be my instrument."

After going to college at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, Dunham hit the clubs of Los Angeles, gaining popularity and practice.

Eventually, he ended up on "The Tonight Show" and "Late Night with David Letterman." Then, he self-produced his first prime-time special.

Along the way to fame, he picked up a number of funny "friends." For instance, the jalapeno pepper, who prefers his given name, Jose, has been with Dunham since college.

"Jose the Jalapeno ... that's the weirdest story," Dunham recalled. "When I was in college I was doing a radio campaign on the radio station, and I was doing all the voices of this pizza.

"Every ingredient on the pizza spoke. And one of them was Jose Jalapeno. He ended up having all the funny lines, so I thought about making a dummy in the act."

Other characters, such as Walter, had more humble beginnings.

"Walter, on the other hand ... I figured he would be a good three minutes of the show. I created him thinking that nobody would enjoy a grumpy old character like that. Little did I know he is an `everyman' -- everybody has that guy in him.

"Either they're married to him or he's their father ... but people, for some reason, love him. So that character just stuck."

The on-stage arguing and energized conversations Dunham has with his puppets are what attract viewers to his shows.

Even when Dunham performs in other countries, where he doesn't speak a word of the native tongue, he still finds ways to sell out.

The attraction lies in the chemistry he has with his puppets, and it's a chemistry that will be at the Palace Theater this weekend.

The Palace Theater is at 100 E. Main St., Waterbury. Friday and Saturday, March 11-12, 8 p.m. $52.50, 203-346-2000, www.palacetheaterct.org.